The present invention relates to a rotor which is intended to induce fluid flow and/or to be influenced by fluid flow and can have relevance to pumps for inducing fluid flow and torque generators which are responsive to fluid flow such as turbines.
Generally, devices which are influenced by fluid flow in the production of torque or alternatively which can induce fluid flow utilise a rotor which is rotatably supported in a housing in order to react to, or to generate fluid flow. Such rotors in the simplest forms comprise a set of radial vanes mounted to a backing plate or a set of propeller or turbine blades supported from a shaft. The principal difficulty with previous arrangements however, has been turbulence created within the fluid flow which reduces the efficiency and in extreme circumstances, in the case of liquids, can result in cavitation, which not only reduces the operational efficiency of the pump but can result in inefficiencies and destructive influences upon the structure of the rotor and the support housing and therefore can also result in significant wear and noise.
It is an object of this invention to provide a rotor which can react to or induce fluid flow which reduces the degree of extraneous turbulence which is exerted upon the fluid in its passage past the rotor with the resultant energy loss. In order to effect this the surfaces of the rotor are intended to provide a fluid pathway which conforms generally to the curve of a logarithmic configuration substantially conforming to the Golden Section.
All fluids when moving under the forces of nature, tend to move in spirals or vortices. These spirals or vortices generally comply to a mathematical logarithmic progression known as the Golden Section or the Fibonacci Progression. The invention enables fluids to move over the surfaces of the rotor in their naturally preferred way, thereby reducing inefficiencies created through turbulence and friction which are normally found in apparatus commonly used for flow and torque generators which are responsive to fluid flow and as a result reducing the likelihood of wear.